Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Punxsutawney faces more hazard damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Punxsutawney gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #979 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 93 claims here since 1978.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about Punxsutawney’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Punxsutawney faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Punxsutawney’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Punxsutawney, and Punxsutawney’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #979 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Punxsutawney’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Punxsutawney has more expected damage per building than 94% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Punxsutawney: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Punxsutawney flood? Sometimes: 93 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Punxsutawney, from FEMA’s records: 30.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan13 claims · $225K
Punxsutawney isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Punxsutawney
Disasters that paid out in Punxsutawney itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Punxsutawney), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan48 households applied for aid$90K aid approved13 flood claims paid for it, $225K
Jefferson County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Punxsutawney after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Punxsutawney archive →Punxsutawney and its neighbors
Punxsutawney is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Young Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bell Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Punxsutawney | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 93 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Punxsutawney faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Punxsutawney
Is Punxsutawney at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Punxsutawney has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #979 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Punxsutawney flood?
Flood insurance has paid 93 claims in Punxsutawney since 1978, $3.8M in all, or 30.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (13).
Is Punxsutawney in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Jefferson County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Punxsutawney?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Punxsutawney’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Punxsutawney?
By FEMA money that reached Punxsutawney, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 48 households applied for aid, $90K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 13 paid, $225K.
Is Punxsutawney at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Punxsutawney’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Punxsutawney.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Punxsutawney’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.